Alone in the Dark
by Mike Canary
Summary: Trapped on an enemy planet and seperated from thier masters, a team of three Jedi padawans fights a guerilla war against overwhelming odds. As the enemy closes in, the padawans will find themselves trapped in the heart of darkness. Three Shot. Contains OC
1. Chapter 1

**_Hi! Welcome to my story. For those of you who have read my work, this is probably unecesary, but for those of you who have, this is a story of Semreh Kaasen, the main character of my other story, The Jedi Strike Back. Of course, this is a prequel. However, if you haven't read the other one, this story should be pretty easy to get into. Naturally, i own nothing here except the characters I made up...which is almost all of them for this._**

**_P.S. I'm sure some of you will wonder about Halber's speech. I wanted him to have an interesting accent, so I decided to try and make him sound a little South African. At least, in his slang._**

**_Now, please enjoy._**

"Incoming!" A voice yelled as Semreh threw himself to the ground. He fell, landing in several inches of water layered with a filthy combination of mud and gore. He felt a pair of hands haul his body up by his belt, dragging him forward.

"Move it boy!" A rough and oddly familiar voice yelled through a helmet. Semreh looked up into the faceless mask of a clone commando, who was firing his carbine with his right hand while dragging him with the left. "It's your plan. Try not to screw it up!"

Semreh brushed the clones arm away, not wanting to burden the soldier, and drew his saber, igniting it with a loud hiss. He and the clone advances, poring fire down onto the panicked column below. The local militias of Sluis Van tried to keep their supply routes safe. Unfortunately for them, the Republic and their guerillas were just as intent on taking that supplies. Around Semreh, allied Sluis Van natives and humans poured fire onto the transport, forcing the merchant guard to fall back, using their own trucks as cover. Just as Semreh predicted.

"Beta Squad," he said into a headset microphone he had strapped to his head. "Anvil in place. Drop the damn hammer already!" From the other side of the small trail, a line of fire burned through the woods, firing on the now exposed backs of the guards. At the front, a set of five lightsabers blazed, guiding a line of ragged guerrillas and three clones in heavy armor into the battle below. The Clones and Jedi were the greatest threat to the convoy, striking with precision and calm skill, while the guerillas roared and screamed vulgarly, letting their weapons swing wildly during their charge.

"_Jeez,"_ he thought, watching the scene with disgust as the guards remaining defenses were instantly penetrated, _"These guys need to be trained up a bit."_ The Republic had inserted them, a team of six Jedi and four clone commandos, into Sluis Van in order to attempt to weaken the Separatist stronghold from the inside out. So far, it had been a slow bloody job.

Once a major supporter of the Republic, the Sluissi had finally become disgusted with what they saw as a corrupt Republic. With support from Dooku's battle droids, they'd seceded from the Republic and trained their own defense force. Of course, there were always those who still clung to the old regime. The Jedi had been sent here to rally those remnants under the Republic's banner.

Sluis Van, with its enormous spaceport and major military facilities, could not be allowed to secede unchallenged. However, the Republic and its fledgling army was no match for Sep forces just yet. So, a new strategy, developed by Master Yoda was put into use. It involved using detachments of Jedi and Clones to train locals to fight their "oppressors" for the Republic. Semreh, his master Nostwa, and two other Jedi, Padawan teams were inserted on Sluis Van soon after this plan was put into action. Of course, Semreh would never presume to question the wisdom of Master Yoda. Even if he had dropped Semreh and his master onto a planet filled with hostile, armed Sluissi and battle droids to train the lowest dregs of society to fight in the rocky terrain. No, he'd never question that.

What remained of the battle was over in another few seconds. Surviving and wounded Sluissi were quickly rounded up, escorted through the woods to the rocky terrain in the surrounding hills and mountains. Semreh approached his Twi'lek master, who was using her double bladed lightsaber as a baton, guiding the guerrillas quickly off the trail.

"How long till the battle droids show up?" Semreh asked, looking around nervously. The wooded area around them would shield them from Sluissi eyes, but not the advanced droids sensors.

"Not long." She stated, surveying the guerillas and their prisoners. "Still, unless they bring heavy tanks, we should be all right. I'm more worried about them tracking us up the mountain. I'd prefer it if they couldn't follow us…" She let her voice drift, her green face egging him on.

"All right," Semreh said raising his hands. "Want me to take the others and wait for them on the trail?"

"Yeah," She said, looking distantly up at their stronghold in the mountain. "I'll meet you back at base." Semreh nodded and turned, heading towards where the other padawans and masters were carefully tending to those to wounded to be moved. Before his master was out of sight, he yelled after her, waving to get her attention.

"Hey, would you send Theran down too. We could use his skills for this and it would be good experience for him."

Theran was a native of Sluis Van and a Clawdite. Like his parents, who had like him taken refuge in the mountains when their allies had landed, he was a shapeshifter. Unlike his parents, who could only shape as into shapes with relatively the same mass as their original bodies, Theran had inherited a rare trait in the Clawdite gene; the ability to shape his mass as well. Semreh had no idea how he did it and he had not yet presumed to ask Theran how he broke the laws of physics.

Besides that, Theran was also Force sensitive, if only a little. Due to the shortage of Jedi in the galaxy and the war that looked like it was going to be longer and longer with each passing day, Master Nostwa had decided to help train the boy in some of the basics of manipulation. His parents had agreed and Nostwa, probably hoping to convince them to let the boy go off planet and train as a Jedi. Or at least, use his abilities for the benefit of the Republic. Of course, everything she was doing was against the Jedi Code, but Nostwa had never felt that some of the rules of the code couldn't be broken or bent in extreme situations.

"All right," She said nonchalantly waving over her shoulder." Semreh turned, heading towards the site of the ruined convoy, where the other Jedi were attempting to ease the pain of the wounded and dying. He approached the hunched over figure of one of them, tapping him lightly on the shoulder.

"Droids are coming." He said quietly to Master Rufus, a Coruscanti native with a round face and baleful eyes. His apprentice was Halber, a longhaired young man a few years older than Semreh. "You gonna stay here or head up to the mountains?" Master Rufus sighed, helping the injured man lean his head forward, making sure he didn't choke on his own blood.

"Not yet." He said, looking around. "There are more wounded I can help." Semreh hesitated, unsure of how to break it to the man that they needed to move, or the droids would overtake them. When he voiced his concerns, Rufus lowered his head, looking strangely defeated.

"Take Halber. Try and by us some time while we get these guys out of here." Semreh looked at him, confused.

"You want us to risk our whole operation to save a bunch of wounded enemy grunts?" He said a little worriedly. The older master looked up at him a little sharply.

"We are Jedi, are we not? This is what we do." Semreh nodded swiftly and hurried over to Halber, who was checking the pulse of a man sprawled over one of the overturned landspeeders of the convoy. A big man, he was all muscle, powerful arms and massive legs. The gun slung over his back was just as massive, a tripod mounted rapid fire Lasersplicer that was known to cut men in half with one shot. He turned to Semreh, swing the gun from his shoulder to rest in his hands.

"Hey old comrade." He yelled heartily, checking the power gauge of his weapon. "Are we getting some action, bru?" Semreh smiled. Halber had arrived late to the temple, and still retained the accent of his home world, wherever that was. He had a small, stubby beard growing in. It was dirty blond, as was the rest of his hair, which was cut short and almost always hidden beneath his Jedi cloak.

"Looks like it." Semreh said, picking up a discarded blaster from one of the enemy soldiers. "We're to buy time for our masters to get the wounded out of here." The big man nodded and began walking down the trail towards where the other two Jedi were working.

"Oy," He yelled in greeting to the two hooded figures at the end of the road. They stood ankle deep in bodies, a short Mon Calamari whose gills and jelly eyes shook slightly in excitement, and a tall blond haired girl who looked like she could be on the cover of some holomagazine. "We got some work we gotta do, brus!" The blond girl stood up, igniting her saber and flourishing it with a flashy grin.

"Great, where?" She said with a fierce grin. Semreh smiled back at her. Somehow, despite the fierce battle that had taken place and the blood and mud that covered all of their clothes, she seemed to have come out of it without the slightest stain on her robes. Her name was Elena, and her master's name was Celant.

"We're to go down the road and set up an ambush to help hold off the droids while you and Master Rufus get the rest of the prisoners out of here." The Mon Calamari nodded and hurried over to master Rufus, flashing an encouraging smile at Elena.

"Take care padawan. I'd hate to lose such a promising student." Elena smiled back over her shoulder as they hurried away. "Tell Theran to meet us at Alpha point. We'll set up the ambush there."

The guerillas had been hiding out in the mountainous terrain around that road for nearly a month. They'd been very prepared to ambush any convoy that happened to be moving through the area. Of course, every time they hit them, a platoon of droids was always in tow. Therefore, Semreh and the rest of the Jedi had set up ambush areas, such as Alpha point, where they knew they would have the advantage over the passing droids. So far, none of the droid units had managed to make it through the woods intact to their various bases in the mountains.

As the padawans came to one of the Alpha point, Elena let out a low laugh and said she was going to take up a position on one side of the road and that Semreh and Halber should take the other half. Semreh didn't mind being ordered. After all, he preferred to follow rather than lead. What did disturb him was that low laugh. It was loaded with anticipation and almost happiness. There was definitely something un-Jedi about it. When he voiced his opinions to Halber as the trudged up a rocky outcropping, Halber agreed.

"I know." He said, surveying the road below. "Something's happened to her. Remember when we were in the temple together. Before the War." Semreh nodded and stopped. He was going to stay in a lower area of the outcropping, letting Halber use his heavier gun from above.

"Yeah," he said, "She was the perfect Jedi, always talking about the stars beyond Coruscant and how it was our job to protect the Republic. Still, this war has done something to her. Like she's changed. But it's barely been a month so far."

"Yeah," Semreh looked across the road. She had concealed herself well. He could barely even sense her with the Force. For a brief moment, he wondered why she was bothering to conceal herself with the Force. He pushed it from his mind when a slithering behind him caught his attention. He drew the captured pistol from his belt and quickly aimed it at the ground. There, lying in the grass, was a rapidly expanding snake that seemed to be growing the features of a Clawdite. He smiled.

"Hey Theran. How are your parents?" The young Clawdite emerged, his snake tail splitting into a pair of legs and his arms sprouted quickly from the snakes sides. Semreh had a personal interest in Theran's parents. He'd actually known them before the war when, in one of his first missions, he and Master Nostwa had come across their home. It had caught fire and he and his master had rushed into the building, rescuing them from the flames. Odd how that one mission had affected so much. He and his master had been selected for this mission because of their prior experience. The Clawdite family had virtually adopted the pair of Jedi, and Semreh felt like the little Clawdite as his own younger brother.

"Good, thanks." He said. He was about the same age as Semreh, except perhaps a little younger the way he clung to his parents. Then again, Semreh had heard somewhere that Clawdites grow up more slowly than humans. "Are the droids here yet?"

Semreh shook his head. "No, but Elena is in the brush across from us and Halber is going to hit them from the rock outcropping from above. So, you stick with me for a while. All right?" Theran nodded and followed Semreh through the brush at the bottom of the outcropping.

"See ya bru." Halber said with a smile, climbing into the rocks overhead. Semreh and Theran got down onto their bellies, peering out into the trail.

"How long till they get here?" Theran asked nervously. He kept changing his facial features, going from a long haired old man, to an ancient Krath woman, and back to his own Clawdite form. It was a sure sign that he was worried.

"Relax. Remember the training Master Nostwa gave you?" The Clawdite nodded and his features gradually settled into his normal form.

"Right. Sorry." A second later, he sneezed, and his face changed again. "It's these bushes we're hiding in."

"What!" Semreh whispered urgently.

"Yeah," Theran continued, "They're Fresian bushes. I'm allergic, and it messes with my shape shifting, making it impossible to control."

"Really," Semreh said watching the horizon. "It's not dangerous, is it?"

"No, not unless I swallow it or something. Then, I'd probably lose my ability to change. Still, it definitely a pain if it gives away our position."

"Don't worry about it." Semreh said as the sound of distant clanking began to break the silence. The droids were on the move. Semreh peaked his head out, squinting down the road into the fading light. There, in the front were the super battle droids, armored bodies presenting a shield meant to protect the weaker, skinnier droids behind. From his position, Semreh could also see that there were a lot more droids than they'd thought. Too many.

"Frag!" He cursed quietly, pulling himself back into the brush. He pulled out his comlinking, keying into Halber and Elena's comlinks.

"Do you guys see what I see?" He whispered into the comlink.

"Yeah," Elena's cocky voice said, "A lot of scrap metal we can turn into fortifications."

"Too much scrap metal." Halber said. "You guys can't see it from down there, but this column goes on for at least a mile. This is probably their big push to take us out. They just used the convoy to pinpoint our location." There were several moments of silence as they all took in what Halber was saying. Part of their success so far in the war had been through the virtue that the enemy had underestimated them. That only a few platoons at a time would be sent at them. Now, it seemed the Sluisii were done messing around.

"We'd better retreat to base." Semreh said, slowly backing out of the brush.

"No way!" Elena protested quietly. "Come on. We have the advantage. We could probably hold them all day from this position."

"But we'd be telling them that our base is in this area." Halber countered thoughtfully. "And then they'd just send more. On the other hand, we still have to buy some time for our masters. I think a few of us should stay behind while one of us returns and starts the evacuation. That way, we can buy some time and inform our master's." Semreh nodded to himself and turned to Theran.

"Go back to the stronghold. Warn them about what's going on." Theran nodded. A second later, a small multi-colored bird shot out of the brush and into the air, heading for the mountain base.

"Kid's a real _lekker_." He said. As far as Semreh had managed to understand Halber over the years, there were still times where the meaning of his slang confused him.

"What's that mean?" He asked as the droids continued to march.

"It means I like the little guy, all right. Now focus, we've got a little problem here."

"I like him too." Elena whispered into her comlink. "As long as he stops the shape shifting into a clone of me. That's just creepy." Semreh smiled despite himself. The two treated him like a dear friend. They'd fought over the past week or two together. Somehow, something had just clicked between them. Now, they felt like old friends.

The droids were closer now. The three padawans tensed, looking out from the bushes they hid behind, aiming down the sights of their weapons. As the Super battle droid line passed them, Semreh readied his blaster, taking careful aim at the backs of one of the Super battle droids. It was one of the few weak points on their bodies. After all, the Seps never expected their droids to run. Then, it happened. Elena leapt from the bushes, diving head first into the crowd of skinny battle droids, who tried to turn and fire on her. They were too clumsy and Elena was a blur by now, spinning and swing her lightsaber, a wide grin on her face as the droids fell, splattering oil like blood on the ground.

"Haha, let's rock and roll."

Semreh sighed, and took careful aim with his blaster, hitting one of the Super battle droids from behind. Then another. Before he could get a third shot off, the droids turned, spraying the bushes where Semreh was hiding with blaster bolts that flew from their wrists. Semreh leapt up throwing himself to the right, so the droids all turned to fire at him. Of course, that forced them to turn their backs on the rock outcropping again, and Halber chose that moment to fire his heavy blaster, raking the Super battledroids from behind.

Semreh looked up and grinned at Halber, who gave him a small two fingered salute and a smile before turning his blaster on the rest of the droids. They fell like leaves from autumn trees, but every time one fell, two more would spring up. Elena was surrounded by them now, only kept alive by her Force driven reflexes and her sheer reckless attacks. The droids fell around her, hewed low like wheat in a field. But more sprouted up, aiming bolts of high powered plasma that scorched her robes.

If you'd looked at Elena though, you would have thought she was simply strolling through the street. Her robes were almost perfectly clean despite the oil and ash that coated the ground and she had this calm, but joyous smile on her face, like a worker that truly enjoyed going to work every day.

Halber, seeing she was surrounded, leapt down from his high post, drawing his leaf green saber in his left hand while his right aimed the Lasersplicer swinging from his shoulder strap. Well, not aiming actually. Then again, he didn't have to aim at this point. The droids fell in long lines, both to the scattered fire of his repeating blaster and powerful swings from his lightsaber. Semreh, seeing an opportunity to clog the narrow roads with droid bodies, joined them, drawing his saber and hacking his way forward.

Halber had never really been a fighter. Which was weird, since he had the body of a brawler. He was, like most Jedi, a pacifist by nature. Of course, when the war had started, he and his master had answered the call. Peaceful was one thing; Helplessness was an entire different cup of caf.

Still, even in the midst of a life and death battle, he couldn't help but look over at Elena and the wild joy that shown from behind strands of her long blond hair. There was definitely something wrong there. Halber had known Elena all her life, just like Semreh, and he had never seen anything like this. Where normal Jedi would be sad, even hesitant to strike, Elena seemed to be eager. Her yellow blade whirled, and three of the advancing battle droids lost their heads.

Halber yanked his mind back into the present as more battle droids charged, metal feet still clanking on the ground and stones. He really didn't know how long they could hold, but he guessed it wasn't long.

"This is bollocks!" He yelled as a blaster bolt grazed his arm. "We gotta get out of here. Now!"

"Are you kidding!?" Elena roared over the pinging of blaster fire. "We've got them all piled on top of each other. We stay, and we could hold them by ourselves." Halber and Semreh exchanged looks. Now, she just seemed crazed. Turning, they each grabbed one of her arms and, Elena kicking and screaming, dragged off the battlefield at a run.

* * *

Elena wasn't crazy. At least, she didn't think so. She just wanted to go back and fight. Those droids were all right there, stacked on top of each other. Every swing of her saber would fell five at a time. How was that not the best odds they would get? Still, as the continued running down the trail, deflecting blaster fire as they went, Elena noticed that the smoke and fire around them was not exclusive to their area. In fact, there in the mountain, she thought she could barely see a thick billow of wavy smoke rising from the area that would have been their base. When she voiced her worries to Semreh and Halber, they turned and their jaws dropped momentarily, followed by a steely resolve.

Turning their backs on the droids, the sprinted, this time running pell-mell up the mountain. The droids tried to follow, but the rocky terrain and speed of the Jedi made that impossible. Soon, the Jedi were far ahead, almost at the entrance to the caves. Finally, they came to the tunnel where their base had been hidden. Elena gasped involuntarily and Semreh and Halber both cursed at the same time. The door to the tunnel had been blown open and now lay in a smoking heap on the floor.

* * *

Semreh and Halber advanced tunnel quietly, blasters scanning slowly, searching for movement. There was none. On the floor, many guerrillas were lying, strewn every which way. They were sprawled over chairs and desks and tables. The floor was slick despite the little amount of blood on the floor. A small drop of some liquid fell, striking Semreh on the nose. Disturbed, Semreh looked up and gagged in horror. There, hanging from a long piece of steel he'd been impaled on, was Master Rufus. His mouth was grotesquely shaped and his hands and feet hung at odd angles. This was because they were bound together by stun cuffs. Master Rufus hadn't been killed. He'd been executed.

Semreh hesitated, then reached placed his hand on Halber's shoulder, who had yet to notice. He leaned back and whispered, "What?" Semreh, unable to look him in the eye, pointed upwards. Halber looked up. His hands shook for a second and he dropped his heavy weapon. His knees soon followed.

"Master!" He whispered. His face, suddenly a mask of indescribable and terrible pain. Then, it was gone, replaced by a carefully controlled. Reaching up, he grabbed the spike piercing his master and pulled it out of the ceiling. His master fell, caught and lowered to the ground by Semreh.

"Someone is going to pay." Elena said quietly, a dangerous tone in her voice. She was shaking and her eyes were flashing as she walked towards the next door. Semreh looked at Halber for a second, but then got up and followed Elena down the tunnel. Halber stayed behind, staring at the remains of his master.

* * *

Elena's heart was beating now, hitting her chest like a hammer. If Master Rufus had been killed, what if-

"_No!"_ She thought, looking around the corner of one of the many winding passageways of the mountain. _"Can't think like that. Gotta find Master Celant. And she'd better be safe."_

The deeper she we went into the base, the more worried she became. She saw dead guerillas everywhere, but so far no Jedi robes. Where was she?

* * *

Two hours later, and neither Master Nostwa nor Master Celant had been found. The padawans had gathered in the room with the least blood in it. Sereh still slipped stepping inside.

"We can assume that the Master's were captured," Semreh told his quiet audience. "We can probably still rescue them if we hurry." Elena nodded, her face a mask of fury. Semreh may have normally warned her about the danger of those feelings, but not today. It'd be too hypocritical.

They both looked at Halber, who was clutching his head, hands ripping at his hair. His weapon was abandoned, propped up against the wall. Finally, he spoke.

"Elena and I will go after master Celant. You take Master Nostwa." Semreh paused, unsure of how to respond.

"Halber," he said gently, "They're probably held in the same place. We don't have to split up."

"Yes we do." He said, looking up. His face was perfectly clear and serene. "Do you see any of the civilians in here? Like Theran, and the little lekker?" Semreh shook his head, realization dawning.

"Your right." He agreed, "Somebody led them away from the base."

"Exactly." Halber continued. "And either way, we need to both find the refugees and investigate the city for news on our masters. Elena and I will head for the city, while you track down the civilians. Either way, we'll meet at least one of the masters." Semreh nodded. As usual, Halber had a sound plan. That's why he was the leader normally in these missions.

"We'll meet back here in three days." Elena suggested as Semreh headed towards the door. He nodded without looking back.

"Agreed." He turned then, looking them both in the eyes. "May the Force be with you my friends."

**_If you enjoyed it, please review. If you didn't, please review. I enjoy constructive criticism. _**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Finally finished it. Hope you all enjoy. Just one more chapter to wrap it all up._**

It didn't take Semreh long to find the refugees. To be honest, though they fought well enough in the battlefield, they were terrible at covering their tracks. Something they'd have to work on later. If there was a later.

Still it took him several hours to finally catch up with the rebel camp, mostly because he had to also dodge the Separatist tracking droids who were scouring the woods in pairs. They searched very thoroughly but, being droids, missed many of the important details Semreh saw on the forest floor. Several times that night, Semreh came remarkably close to being shot by one of those skinny droids, something that would no doubt have earned him hours of criticizing from Elena. Halber would only laugh.

As he began to catch up to the rebels, signs of people passing through the hills and woods began to get more frequent. Foot prints, broken branches, even the occasional clip from a blaster or a rag from someone's clothing. Finally, he glimpsed some movement in the trees in front of him. One of the sentries the guerrillas had posted. He'd concealed himself in the thick brush of a small overpass and was watching the woods below. Semreh used the force to aid him and leapt, landing besides the startled man.

"Stars Jedi!" He said, lowering his raised weapon. "I almost shot you."

"Don't worry." Semreh said lightheartedly, "You would have missed."

"But I wouldn't have." Semreh spun. Behind him, one of the Clone Commandos, a big man named nicknamed Screech, was sitting in a tree above his head, a sniper attachment on his carbine. His heavy katarn armor covered every inch of his body. It was of much higher quality than the average troopers and could withstand everything from the average blaster bolt to high powered explosives. Semreh didn't know who one in a head to head fight between commandos and Jedi, but he certainly didn't want to find out.

"Hey Screech." He said with a tiny salute. "You guys get out all right?" The commando lowered his weapon and jumped down from the tree with a dull thud. He stood back up, shaking mud off his heavy boots.

"We took some casualties." He said through his helmet. "Lots of guerrillas and a few of the civilians. But Barca, Fingers, and Ding all got out all right." Barca, Fingers, and Ding were Screech's squad mates. Ding got his name due to his piloting skills, which were less than stellar and often resulted in whatever ship they happened to commandeer being used for scrap metal. He made up for it by having a unique skill with space walking and combat, something that few, if any, soldiers ever truly mastered.

Finger's name was a little more… gruesome. The clone had a small necklace that he kept hidden under his armor. Strung on that string were the small clamp-like fingers of dozens of droids. Semreh knew that they were only scraps of metal from the battlefield, but something about the practice made him shudder. Maybe when he got back to Coruscant, he'd ask the Council to act on it.

As for Barca, Semreh couldn't fathom where the name came from. He'd even used the search function on his datapad, which had a direct link to the temple. Nothing. Not even his brothers seemed to know. They only knew their mando sergeant had pulled him aside one day, and that after that, the sergeant had called him Barca. The name had stuck.

"What about Master Nostwa? And Elena's master?"

"Master Nostwa is all right." Screech said as they began trotting up the hill. "We haven't been able to find Master Celant, but we can safely assume she has been made a prisoner by Sep forces. After all, they wouldn't kill such a valuable hostage." Semreh thought back to the massacre back at their former hideout. A cold hand seemed to squeeze the air from his lungs.

"They didn't spare Master Rufus." Semreh said quietly. Screech looked startled. Well, as startled as a clone could look in those heavy helmets.

"Really?" He said bowing his head. Like many clones, he was trained not only to obey, but protect the Jedi generals. "Well, we haven't seen or heard from Master Celant, and the Separatists did apparently take prisoners. Couple of the civilians, including those Clawdites."

"You mean Theran!?" Semreh exclaimed, but Screech shook his head.

"No, I thought he was with you."

"We sent him back when it became clear we couldn't hold the droids, to warn you. He never showed."

Screech shook his head. "No, but maybe he took off after his parents. It's possible the little runt wanted to save them, and if he is Force sensitive, he should be able to sense them, right?" Semreh shook his head, worry spreading across his face.

"The Force doesn't work that way for the untrained, and especially not for someone as weak in it as Theran. No, he must have been captured enroute to the base." Screech nodded in agreement.

Ahead, the very dull glow of a smoldering campfire came into view. Around it, small tired lumps covered in whatever rags or blankets they could find huddled close to both block the light and keep warm. Standing several feet away was the rest of Screech's squad and Semreh's master Nostwa.

"You're alive." She said simply. Her face was calm, but Semreh sensed an overwhelming feeling of relief radiate from her.

"Not my fault." He said with a sardonic grin. "Droids just suck at shooting." She smiled back and patted him on the shoulder before signaling him to follower her. Together, they walked into the darkened woods. The trees rose up around them, blocking the sliver of the moon that still shone dimly in the sky.

"We are in a crisis padawan." She stated not looking at him. She looked straight ahead, eyes calm despite the urgency of the situation. "If we do not act soon, the Separatists will use Sluis Van as a base with which to attack the rest of the Republic. And with its powerful shipyards, they'll have ships and droids to spare."

"The obvious answer is for the Republic to destroy the shipyards." Semreh said with a small shrug, "But the reason they sent us here is to soften up the planet for a ground invasion. Why? Why not just take a Republic fleet and decimate the place?"

"Don't know." Nostwa said, resting her hand on her holstered lightsaber. "We don't decide the Republics policy…"

"We just carry it out." Semreh finished with a small grunt, "But is it too much to ask for their orders to make a little sense?" Nostwa laughed heartily, patting her young student on the back.

"Welcome to war Semreh."

* * *

Elena and Halber walked through the crowded streets of the massive capital city. Of course, most of the signs were written in the native language and the majority of the people there didn't seem to understand basic. To be honest, Halber didn't even know how to pronounce the name of the city. Something with way to many s's though.

They'd quickly donned disguises as they entered the city. Neither of them wished to be seen as Jedi by the highly Separatist citizen's. Beneath their clothes, they hid their sabers, just in case they were discovered. Elena of course had managed to look not only different in her disguise, but just plain stunning. She had cut her padawan braid and let her hair fall down past her shoulders. She wore a soft blouse covered by a blue jacket embroidered with elegant figures.

Though stunning, Halber noticed how few of the natives seemed to watch her for long, probably because every time somebody did, she would through them a look akin to a Hutt who just had food stolen from its mouth. Halber shook her head.

"Elena," he whispered into her ear, "Could you try and not scare every guy we come across?"

"Fine," She growled, still scanning the crowd with her intense eyes. "I just want to find Master Celant." Halber looked at her, worry growing in his belly. For the past hour or so, that was all she'd talked about, muttering it quietly under her breathe. In fact, most of the people were probably staring at her out of worry for her sanity, rather than her looks.

"Ya ya, but look, we won't find her today. We've got to find a place to hole up for the night. A base where we can hide from the Seps. Otherwise, people will think we're a couple of wankers, and we'll probably get arrested. Come on." Gently, he tried to guide her towards one of the nearby inns and motels that dotted the streets, but she shrugged him off, eyes still scanning. Sighing, Halber followed her, hoping to at the very least, keep her out of trouble.

"_Not like I'm not dealing with anything after all."_He thought a little bitterly. Every time Halber thought about his wounded master, his chest seemed to contract, hurting worse than any injury he'd ever felt. The thought of Master Rufus, dead and unprotected by his padawan, tore through him, making his soul howl in pain. Halber felt the only thing keeping him walking was the thought of what Elena was going through. As bad as Halber felt, at least he knew his master's fate. Elena's desperation came from her duty to her master, her feeling that Master Celant was her job to protect. Just as Master Rufus had been his.

As they continued searching the city aimlessly, Halber used their time to formulate a plan in his head, knowing that they would have to eventually stop for a while. Still, it took Elena longer than Halber had imagined before she finally stopped, stamped a foot, and stomped over to a nearby bar. Halber followed cautiously, eyes searching for danger.

Elena made straight for the bar, ordering a cup of Juma juice. The barkeep turned to Halber and asked if he wanted some corellian whiskey, but Halber waved him away. He never drank, and he wasn't about to start in their current situation. He turned on his swiveling stool to watch the room, keeping a particular careful watch on the door. The bar was busy, more a club than anything else and as the night started to get later, more people seemed to be congregating.

One man in particular caught Halber's eye, a small figure hunched in the corner. His face was shadowed by the dark shadows, but Halber saw a pair of vibrant blue eyes flashing out from a the dark, reflecting off the flashing lights of the bar's dance floor. Halber looked at Elena, who nodded. She'd noticed him to.

They were about to leave when another figure slipped into the bar, unnoticed by the rest of the patrons. He was cloaked from head to toe in rough clothe and was quickly making his way towards Halber and Elena. As he got closer, Halber recognized the pulse in the Force, and smiled.

"Hey bru. I'm assuming you found our friends." He said as Semreh lowered the hood of his cloak. "Are they all right?" Semreh grabbed a stool, spinning around to signal the barkeep.

"Most of them." He said quietly. His voice sounded tired. "A lot of the guerillas are dead, and Theran and his parents are missing." Halber looked down at the bar counter, resting his head between his hands.

"So now we've got to find him too?" Semreh nodded, taking a deep swig from the glass the barkeep had brought him.

"If we don't, who knows what Intel he could give them." Semreh looked up, gazing intently into both their eyes. Plus, we have another reason for finding him.

"He's our friend." Elena finished stoically. "But what about my master. We can't just leave her out there."

"Master Celant could probably resist any techniques the Seps used to get Intel out of her. Theran on the other hand…"

"Theran's just a kid." Halber said, trying to reason with her. "Our jobs to protect the weak, even at the expense of our own lives. What would your master want you to do?" For a moment, Elena looked like she might kill Halber. She glared at him, her eyes flinty and dark. Finally, she looked away. When she spoke it sounded like she was choking back tears.

"Fine, we find Theran first." She said thickly, face turned away from them. Halber placed a big hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I promise we'll find Master Celant when this is over with. Besides, how hard can it be to find the little clawdite."

"Not hard at all as it turns out." A voice behind them said cheerfully. The padawans whirled, each of them instinctively reaching for the sabers hidden beneath their cloaks. The blond man from the corner was standing in front of them, his eyes wide and his mouth stretched into a wide smile. Unnaturally wide. Creepily wide.

"Theran!" Semreh whispered incredulously. "You're all right!"

"Hey you little lekker." Halber said holding out a hand. "You all right? How are your parents?" Theran sat in one of the bar stools, turning his face so the light from the room shone on it. The wide smile was still there.

A second later, the stools clattered to the ground as Semreh and Elena stood up, each reaching for the sabers under their cloaks. They stopped when the clawdite pressed the blaster he had drawn against Halber's stomach, digging the barrel into his belly.

"I wouldn't move, old friend." Theran snarled quietly.

* * *

Semreh kicked himself silently, watching the stand-off tentatively. The patrons in the bar had yet to realize how much danger they were in, and Semreh felt they wouldn't act if they didn't know. He shouldn't have worn his robes here. The little changeling had followed him, letting him lead him to his fellow Jedi. Still, there were still holes in that argument. Like why Theran would betray his few friends on the planet.

"Theran," Semreh said quietly, trying to calm the maniacal grin on his friends face, "What are you doing? Remember, we're your friends." The clawdite snorted angrily, pressing harder with the blaster.

"Friends. Friends don't bring war to your home. Friends don't get people mixed up in stuff they never wanted to be a part of.

"I saved your life!" Semreh said, feeling some anger rising. "I saved your parents."

"And a lot of good that's done." He spat back. "Now, you three are going to come with me to the Sep headquarters. Otherwise, I'll give Halber a reason to regret letting my parents get captured."

"What are you talking about bru?" Halber said, calmly keeping his hands raised. "If the Seps have your parents, we'll just go rescue them, right? Remember, you have Jedi as friends." Theran stopped for a second, eyes flickering as if reconsidering his decision. Then, his eyes hardened, and he pressed again.

"Sorry buddy." He said sarcastically, "But the Jedi are no longer the protectors they thought they were. You can't even protect yourselves."

"And what do you have to gain by turning us in to the Seps." Elena said through gritted teeth.

"My parents." He said blandly. "If I turn you in, the Separatists give us a ship and send us on our way. And all I have to do-"

"Is betray the only friends you have on the planet." Elena growled. Her hand shook slightly, finger hanging above the blades activator.

"Like I said, you can't even protect yourselves." The clawdite smiled that strange smile again. Semreh suddenly realized why it looked so odd. Madness. Semreh and Elena tried to step forward to help Halber, but the clawdite was too fast. He pulled the trigger, sending a pulse of burning plasma into Halber's stomach.

He fell backwards with a grunt of pain, hand clutching the wound. Elena jumped forward, trying to catch the clawdite, but was blocked by the crowds. Semreh rushed forward to catch Halber before he hit the ground as a crowd of people began to gather at the scene. Semreh looked around and saw Elena through herself after Theran, lightsaber ignited. Unfortunately, the crowd saw it too. Whispers shot through the crowd, people murmuring that they were Jedi. Sensing a riot coming, Semreh drew his lightsaber and grabbed Halber with his other arm, hauling him to his feet.

"Where's Elena?" He slurred in pain.

"Chasing Theran." Semreh said as he rushed at the nearby wall, hacking a path into the street as the bar folk roared angrily.

"Stop her." He rasped. "Stop her now." Semreh shook his head, trying to hurry as the alarms began to sound and the locals began searching fervently for the two Jed.

"Your bleeding to badly for me to leave you alone buddy. Don't worry, I'll find her later." Halber looked like he might argue for a second, but then sagged as his eyes closed. Semreh continued down the streets, dodging through alleyways and traffic. Mobs of people were everywhere, loyal separatists searching for the hated Jedi. Finally, he came to the outskirts of the city, where an apparently inconspicuous pair of rocks rose up to greet him.

"I thought you were going for stealth." Screech said, knocking the camouflage he'd padded his armor with off. "We can here the fighting from here."

"Problems arose." Semreh said, putting Halber down onto the ground gently. "Help me fix him up soldier. He'd hurt bad." Barca, the other inconspicuous rock, trotted over to help Halber, carrying a medical kit in his hands. He knelt onto one knee, working quickly to stop the young Jedi's bleeding.

"He'll be all right." Barca said after several moments. "Bacta is flowing and the bleedings beginning to slow. Looks like he moved just in time so that his side, and not his belly, took most of the blast."

"Good." Semreh said, turning back towards the city. "Keep an eye on him until I get back."

"And where are you going…Sir."

"Back into the city. Elena's still in there."

"Standing orders from Master Nostwa are to keep you alive." Screech said gruffly, "So I have to insist that you stay here." The commando cocked his head, eyes probably thoughtful beneath his helmet.

"I'm going." Semreh stated simply. "Come on. I know you want to come with." Screech paused, looked down at Barca, then followed, swinging his carbine around and onto his shoulder strap with a grunt.

Elena knew, unlike her fellow Jedi, that Theran was the key. He was the one with the power to betray them, and he was their key to the Separatists who were holding her master. She didn't know how she knew all these things, but she did. She felt as if she'd never been surer of anything in her life.

She felt that, if only she could get Theran before he made it to the Separatist headquarters, everything would be made right. Master Celant would be found. Halber would never have been shot. She could let go of this terrible rage that was ripping her insides apart. All she had to do was catch that little clawdite and everything would be made right.

The little guy was fast though, jumping and weaving through the crowds with the ease of his ever changing body. The little guy even knew the back alleys better then Elena, taking unseen shortcuts and escape routes. Finally, he lost Elena, leaving her standing in a large four way intersection devoid of any life. Even the wind seemed to have died.

"Well, well." A mad voice yelled from seemingly everywhere at once. "They sent their little killer Jedi after me. My, my. What has happened to you all? Has the war dulled your senses?" Elena turned, eyes searching for the little changling. Something was different about her old friend. He was sinister, more evil than she had thought possible. Through the Force, she felt the dark side radiating from him. It felt as though she was being bombarded from all sides.

"Tell me Theran," Elena said in a cocky tone, trying to mask her unease. "Did you sell out because of money? Or was t really your parents? Did they torture them Theran? Did they torture you? Oh, I bet you sang like a bird, didn't you. Probably would have sold out your own family too to make the pain stop."

"SHUT UP!" He screamed, voice still magnified, but Elena tracked his voice now. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" The changeling was screaming now, his voice becoming easier to find.

"You don't know what it's like." He continued cravenly, "The pain…" Elena heard a shudder in his voice and a flash of pity shot through her. Whatever the Seps had done to him had broken his mind. She heard it in his voice, in the way the Force around him seemed to flicker between light and dark.

"Come back to us Theran." She said as softly as possible. "I can feel you in the Force. You're teetering on the edge. Please come before you fall." He laughed, any pain or fear gone from his voice, replaced by madness.

"Oh, is that me you think you're feeling, or are you the one trapped between light and dark."

"What are you talking about?" Elena snapped. She could hear his voice, but he kept moving, making it impossible to find his location.

"I've heard Semreh and Halber talking." They're worried about you, and with good reason evidently. You love war, don't you? More than any soldier should anyways." Elena opened her mouth to argue, but closed it tightly. He was trying to distract him.

"That's it isn't it." He cackled from somewhere in the darkness. "Crazy Elena. Reckless Elena. Ruthless Elena. My, sounds like you have a lot of very un-Jedi emotions. Does your failure to protect your master anger you?"

"There is no anger, there is peace." Elena said, "Something you'll never feel again." Theran laughter spat out from the darkness again.

"Don't spout your Jedi wisdom at me. I've seen the truth of you now. Not even Halber or Semreh know how deep you've sunk into the dark side."

"Stop it." She said through gritted teeth. The world was spinning, almost bringing Elena to her knees.

"You didn't help Halber when I shot him. No, you went straight for me. Why?" He paused, letting his words sink in. "Because you wanted to kill me more than anything else. Because the thought of a fight excited you. It thrilled you. The thought that you might be able to fight made you the happiest girl in the world. You were primal, acting on instinct, like some animal."

"Stop!" She yelled desperately, using a Force propelled leap to take her onto one of the surrounding roofs. There he was. Grinning even as his body melted and reformed into a different body.

"Well," he said quickly before his throat changed, taking the form of one more designed for roaring. "Let's see who the bigger animal is."

Theran bent over, completing his transformation. He roared, now a fully transformed akk dog, with knife-like teeth and a hide that could stop a blaster bolt cold. Theran roared and threw himself forward, bounding towards Elena.

The akk dog, a creature native to Haruun Kal was considered one of the most deadly animals alive. Impenetrable armor surrounded it's body and it's intelligent mind let it hunt in packs with the precision on commandos.

Elena let herself fall backwards, using her legs to throw the akk dog over her and into the alley below. Theran fell, landing on his akk feet with a crash. He looked up, roared, and jumped straight up, landing in front of Elena. He spun, whipping his tail at her, trying to catch her off guard, but she jumped, flipping backwards. Her back bent, taking the form of a hyper drawn bow as the tail barely missed crushing her.

She slid backwards on her feet, then advanced, letting her lightsaber cast a weaving pattern of yellow flame around the akk. It was futile. The akks hide was too tough to penetrate with her saber. Leaping up, she tried to get onto the one place the akk couldn't reach with its teeth, its own back. She missed, and Theran whirled around, letting his tail hit her, sweeping her legs out. Elena flipped through the air sideways, spinning like a rag doll. She landed in the alley, body bruised and head ringing. As she lay there, waiting for Theran to finish her off, she realized that he had been right. Among the many fading emotions that she let go of as darkness took her eyes, was the pure joy of battle.

"Oh." Was all she could mutter.

Semreh and Screech were two soldiers of the Republic. Screech was a super soldier with more weapons in his armor than most beings saw in a lifetime. He was trained in dozens of combat techniques and had more combat experience than he had skin cells.

Semreh was a Jedi who had trained from day one to master control of an all powerful energy field that could be used to do everything from communicating telepathically to push punch enemies from yards away. He had trained with the lighsaber, and had studied for years in the temple archives.

Between the two of them, stealing a landspeeder from the outskirts of town was no problem. Unfortunately, Semreh was the one trying to drive it.

"Lookoutlookoutlookout!" Screech yelped from the passenger seat, instinctively ducking as the trash can rolled up the hood of the landspeeder and off.

"Quiet." Semreh ordered from the driver's seat. "I'm trying to-"

"Speeder!" He interrupted. Semreh yanked onto the wheel, barely missing oncoming traffic. They barely missed and the driver whizzed by, giving Semreh a rude gesture on his way.

"That was totally unnecessary." Semreh sniffed as the speeder continued weaving its way through traffic.

Bam! Another trash can.

"Get off the sidewalk you chaker!" Screech yelled at Semreh.

"Please, it's only a trash can."

Bam, bam, bam!

"Okay, a couple trash cans."

"You're gonna kill someone." Screech yelled.

"Quiet, I can't drive with you screaming at me."

"You can't drive at all!"

"Shut up already!" He said. A harsh scrapping sound. Some poor fellow no longer had a mint condition Soru Sub luxury speeder. Now he had about half.

"The owner might not even notice." Semreh assured a horrified Screech.

"Yeah." Screech said, swinging his blaster carbine around. "But the local security did."

Semreh looked in his rear view mirror. Behind them, lights flashing on their speeders and weapons draw, were the local security forces. The followed, one of them yelling on a microphone for them to pull over.

"Screech," Semreh said grinning at him. "Would you mind discouraging them?" Screech nodded and leaned out the window of the landspeeder, letting his blaster carbine blaze away at the men behind them. The security forces swerved and jerked, trying to dodge the torrent of blue fire.

Suddenly, Elena's eyes snapped open. Above her, the akk dog was growling, letting a thin vein of slime roll off his tongue. Elena kept playing dead, letting Theran savor his victory. Then, something unexpected. Theran's body bulged and stretched, and he emerged in his clawdite form. His grey skin stretched into a wicked smile. He stepped forward, and was surprised when Elena's leg shot upward, nailing him between his legs. Theran fell forward, already changing again, but Elena's fist was already rising. It connected with a crack into his nose. Theran jumped backwards, rolling to avoid a slash from her reignited lightsaber.

Elena tried to get up to chase him, but her leg wouldn't move. She looked down and saw it twisted at a weird angle, broken. Theran, already halfway changed, began bounding towards her. A second later, he stopped as a hail of blaster fire from one of the side alleys surprised him. From the alley, Semreh emerged, followed closely by Screech, who had a carbine in his hand and was firing steadily at Theran, who had changed into some type of winged bird and was flying away.

"You all right?" Semreh asked, wrapping one of his arms around her shoulder and hauling her to her feet.

"I think my leg's broken." She said shakily. "I can't walk on it for long."

"You won't have to." Semreh assured as he helped her limp out of the alley. "We've got a speeder."

"Most of a speeder anyways." Screech said darkly. Semreh glowered at him.

"It still drives, doesn't it?"

"Barely." Screech shot back, helping Elena into the back seat. Semreh reached for the door on the driver's side, but Screech pushed his hand away, indicating for him to get in the passenger seat.

"Fine." Semreh grumbled, shutting the door behind him. The sound of security sirens was rising, like they were getting closer. "Just get us out of here."

Back at the guerilla camp on the outskirts of the city, Semreh sat in a circle with his closest friends. A council of war. What remained of their soldiers were outside the camp, watching carefully for any Sep presence.

"We have to deal with this threat now padawan." Master Nostwa said with some urgency. "We need to find Theran and bring him in."

"Bad idea." Ding said looking at Screech. "Clawdites are a class four species. There hard to keep captured. And since this kid is able to change his mass as well as his appearance, he could very well turn into something as small as a mouse and slip out of captivity. If he does that, then we're really screwed."

"So we don't capture him." Barca said coldly. "We find him, plug a bolt through his head, and walk out. Quick and clean."

"Jedi don't kill their friends." Halber snapped, then fell back, groaning. His stomach was healing fine, but it wasn't a small wound. Semreh and Elena were quiet, listening to both sides. Master Nostwa and Halber were in favor of bringing Theran in peacefully. They wanted to help him, bring him back from the dark side. The clone commandos wanted to simplify things. Simple assassination. Their priority was the mission. Nothing else.

"There's another problem." Screech said worriedly. "Staying on planet is no longer safe, for us or for the guerillas. We need to evac as many of them as possible before the Seps close in for the kill. And since most of our communication equipment was captured, that means using Sep channels."

"What we need, is a plan." Elena said. "A plan that accomplishes all our goals at once." Everyone was quiet for a while, each deep in thought, trying to decide what their priorities should be.

"Master Nostwa is right." Semreh said quietly. "We can't let Theran walk away from this. Not with the amount of Intel he has. We take him down, one way or the other." The people around him looked at him, faces a vast mix of emotions. Master Nostwa looked worried, Halber slightly angry, the clones and Elena had expressionless masks.

"You said Theran is doing this to protect his parents?" Semreh asked Elena, looking at her. She paused, then nodded silently.

"Fine, then we put the word out. Try and make sure Theran knows where we'll be in three days."

"And where will we be?" Nostwa asked, crossing her arms. She was looking at her padawan intently, as if she was interested in how he would handle the situation.

"Halber and you should stay her master." He told her respectfully. "Somebody will have to keep the guerillas organized for evacuation."

"What evacuation?" Screech asked.

"The one you and I will call for using the com station at the local Sep headquarters. While we deal with that, Master Nostwa and Halber will move our people to the evacuation point, Barca and the rest of the commandos will create a distraction, and Elena will deal with Theran. We hit them all at once and escape in the chaos." The clones and Jedi all looked at each other. It was a sound plan, but would it work. Halber looked doubtful, as did Screech. But Master Nostwa looked proud. And Elena…Elena looked something close to fearful. For a moment, Semreh considered retracting his statement, but it was too late now.

"It's a good plan." Master Nostwa said, beaming at Semreh. "And it should accomplish all our goals at once. So, let's get too work. We've only got a day or two before the Separatists strike first. Let's move!"

**_Sorry if it felt rushed, but I'm trying to cram a lot of stuff into three chapters. Anyways, thanks for reading. Please review if you liked or disliked it._**


	3. Chapter 3

**_This is a long one. Sorry, but this is the ending. Won't be writing for a little bit though. I've got severe post favorite character death depression ;) You know how it is..._**

**_Anyways, enjoy the third and final part of Alone in the Dark._**

Holding a Clawdite in custody is normally easy. Most of them are unable to change their mass, therefore a simple cage would be able to hold them. They could change their appearance all the wanted, and they'd still be stuck. However, whether due to some genetic mutation or inherited trait, a few Clawdites would occasionally be born with the ability to change their mass. These rare finds were virtually impossible to keep imprisoned due to that special talent. The prisoner could be large as a bantha, or as small as a dinko. Quite the problem for the captors.

As Semreh sat contemplating their problem outside of the camp the guerillas had made, he was struck by how adamant everybody was that they not kill Theran. For a moment, he wondered why they shouldn't. I mean, he'd betrayed them, nearly killed Halber, and would probably try to kill Elena again. No matter what their previous friendship had met, they were friends no more.

Yet, every time Semreh imagined himself facing Theran, he lost. Not through any lack of skill, no. Theran was a dangerous combatant, but that was not how Semreh lost in his imagination. He always had his saber raised, prepped for the killing blow, but he could not strike. He could not destroy this dangerous criminal who could cause an endless amount of death and suffering for the Republic. In the end, Semreh felt he did not have it in him to end the threat.

As his thoughts continued to wonder, Semreh heard a distant grunting and thumping sound from deeper into a grove of trees to his right. Getting to his feet with a grunt, he stalked through the woods, investigating. Standing in front of a battered old tree was Elena, saber ignited and raging against the wood of the tree. She was going through her lightsaber form, Ataru. Her leg was injured and in a heavy splint, yet her grace was undiminished, letting her flip and spin through the air. Every movement she made wrought another thin burn line into the tree.

Semreh approached quietly and coughed to get her attention. She spun, a wild look in her eye, her saber raised in a defensive stance.

"What do you want?" She demanded fiercely as she deactivated her saber with a hiss.

"Training?" Semreh questioned cautiously. Women tended to be a little volatile in his opinion, and it would be his luck to be gutted by a comrade a day before escaping. "You seem too injured to be training like that."

"Yet, you want me to take down Theran tomorrow. Seems a little odd." Elena countered. "Why don't you do it, or Master Nostwa, or any other Jedi." She fell silent, looking down at her feet. The wind blew a little, rustling the hems of her robes around her feet. She turned away, looking up into the dark treetops.

Semreh had started at her sudden outburst, but stayed quiet, waiting for her to speak. Silence enveloped them. The only noise to be heard was from the wind and an annoying insect that was buzzing around Semreh's head. It was several minutes before she spoke again.

"Why are you sending me against Theran?" She asked demandingly. Semreh thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"I don't know." He confessed. "I suppose because we don't have a lot of options on who to send. Because we need to take him down. Because he can't escape. Because-" He stopped, and felt his face redden.

"Because I will kill him." She stated, her face falling. "By the Force! That's it, isn't it? You think I'm some type of killer!"

"Now Elena," Semreh began, trying to calm her. "You know that's not tr-"

"Then why, huh? Why send the wounded Jedi?"

"Because I can't do it!" Semreh blurted finally. "Because I can't kill the kid."

"And you think I can?" Elena practically screamed at him. "You think I enjoy this? All this fighting, all this death!"

"No," Semreh shot back, his voice rising. "Elena, your fearless, skilled, and the only one I want fighting next to me in a battle. But I think somewhere, somewhere you don't go very often, you enjoy the thrill of fighting. I think this war has brought something out of you; something dark. And sometimes, I wonder what you're going to do after the war. Just go back to being a peacekeeper? Unlikely."

Semreh stopped, his chest heaving. He hadn't meant to yell, but Elena had finally pushed him too far. Elena looked like she'd been punched in the nose, but stood her ground, glaring steadily at Semreh.

"I know I've changed Semreh." She said, her voice quiet now. "We've all changed. We all will."

"Including you." She said looking up and looking him in the eyes. "You've changed too. I may be a killer, but you're using me like you would a chess piece. You're using my nature to win. Manipulating people, even your own master. You think she doesn't notice. I have. Sending her too deal with the "evacuation" so you can send me to kill Theran." She had stepped towards him while talking, until she was only inches from Semreh's face. "You're a killer in your own way Semreh, and I only hope we can both come to terms with this in the end."

With that, she turned and went back to her training, clearly dismissing Semreh.

* * *

Semreh was sitting, trying to meditate, but really just looking up at the strange stars of Sluis Van. He'd sat under many sets of stars in his life, but the fact that the little pinpricks of light held back all that darkness always amazed him. As he watched them, he thought about Elena's words.

"_She's right in many ways_." He thought, "_None of us will get out of this unharmed. One way or the other, we'll all have our own war to fight."_

Semreh thought about Halber, a new scar forming around his massive wound. He thought about Elena, wrestling with the thought of her own darkness. Of Theran, preparing to stab his old friends in the back. Semreh realized that they would have to make a choice soon; their souls, or their duty and lives.

Semreh sat up, dropping into a meditative stance, suddenly determined. Maybe this war would try to take away all three, but he wouldn't let it take them from his friends and him without a fight. Closing his eyes and folding his hands in his lap, he began to think.

* * *

The next day, Jedi and Clones split up, each rushing to their own business. Master Nostwa led the refugees to the planned evac area, waving good bye to her padawan over her shoulder. She looked worried, but the truth was that somebody had to be there to make sure none of the evacuees panicked.

Semreh waved back, still putting the finishing touches on a few ideas running through his head. Turning to the remaining Jedi and Clones, he outlined his plan.

"Okay," He said, drawing a circle into the dirt with the toe of his boot. "This is the city perimeter. No doubt there are droids all over the place, but we're only interested in this." He said jabbing his foot into the dirt towards the middle of the city. "The Sep headquarters. It will be less defended than the rest of the city since they won't expect an attack to sneak through the perimeter and get to the Sep communication center. That's where we'll contact the _Fortitude_."

The _Fortitude _was the assault ship that had inserted the Jedi into Sluis Van. It was waiting just outside the system, ready to jump at a seconds notice, either to attack the weakened planet, or rescue the stranded Jedi.

"First, we need a distraction." He said turning to Barca, Fingers, and Ding. "You three are going to make a special visit to the outskirts of town, here." He said, jabbing his finger into the dirt just outside the circle. "The Sluis Van food storage area. You're going to burn it. All of it." The Clones nodded in their faceless helmets, but Fingers raised his hand in a question.

"Sir, Most of the food for the planet is in that place. How do you expect us to burn it all?"

"Orbital strike." Semreh answered, handing them the comlink on his belt. It was keyed to act as a tracking device for the _Fortitude_, so they would know where to send ships to evacuate them in case of emergency. "We'll tell the _Fortitude_to bombard my location, using the comlink as a beacon." Fingers nodded, pocketing the comlink.

"Still," Semreh continued. "I need you to make as much noise as possible about this attack. It has to be a diversion. All right?" The clones snapped their boots together and stood at attention.

"Sir!" They said, and saluted.

"All right. Get going." The Clones ran off, armor dully clanking and rustling.

"What about us sir?" Screech asked, hefting his carbine.

"We've got a meeting with someone very special." Semreh said. "Did you drop some hints to lure our friend to the rendezvous point? Screech nodded. Elena looked pale, and was gripping her lightsaber tightly.

"Good." Semreh stated as he pointed at the diagram on the ground below. "There's a café across the street from the Sep headquarters. That's where we'll meet Theran. Or rather, where he'll come to us. After that, we'll split up. Screech and I will sneak into the headquarters while Elena detains Theran. Agreed?" The two of them nodded, both of them emotionless. Of course, Screech had a helmet on, so it wasn't nearly as impressive.

"All right." He said, dusting his pants off as he got to his feet. "Then we'd better hurry. The others will be starting their diversion soon." Together, they trotted down the deserted road to the city, the early morning sun rising before them. Somehow though, Semreh thought it looked more like a sunset.

As they trotted, Semreh gradually increase his speed till he was besides Screech.

"Did you get the package I asked you for?" he asked quietly. Screech nodded and produced a small vial of a pale green liquid.

"I think I know what you're thinking here." Screech whispered, "And I got to tell you, it won't work unless you've got an extra set of syringes you've been keeping secret from me."

"It has to work." Semreh whispered back hoarsely. "I won't make a friend kill another friend."

"It may come to that anyways." Screech warned. "And if it does, you'd both better be ready." He held his hand out, and Semreh took the small vial from his armored hand.

"Don't worry." He said grinning wolfishly at Screech. "I've got a plan."

* * *

After months of living in the wilderness, Semreh had forgotten how good it felt to lounge in a chair, coolly sipping a drink in the shade. The café wasn't remarkably busy, but a few were about. Most of them ignored Semreh and Elena, who just sat, drinking and staring off into the distance. Neither of them had anything to say to each other.

Above them, Semreh could almost feel the sights of Screech's sniper attachment sweeping the streets and roof tops. Semreh couldn't figure out how he'd managed to sneak to the top of the café roof without arousing suspicion, but had quickly decided that with clone commandos, it was better to not ask questions.

Finally, without warning, a shaggy haired wookie appeared besides them, roaring and pulling a chair out from their table. Semrehsaid nothing, just watching the alien until it gave a very un-wookie smile and began to shrink, collapsing in on itself. A moment later, Theran was standing in front of Semreh and Elena, grinning widely.

"Hey buddy." Semreh said, adding every ounce of contempt he had behind the word buddy. "Come to sell us out to the Seps? Why don't you have a drink?" Theran laughed and pointed at the building across the street.

"Please, you've practically sold yourselves out to the Seps." Theran scrunched his face together, and a second later, Semreh was looking into his own face. "And is the drink your clumsy attempt to poison me? Honestly Semreh, I thought you were smarter than that. "

"Oh, we'll attack them and escape in the confusion." Theran continued mockingly. He laughed loudly, making Semreh shudder slightly.

"You were at that meeting?" Semreh finally said in a resigned voice.

"Just a fly on the wall." Theran was clearly enjoying this. "Actually, one buzzing around your head. I suppose not even your Force can detect me. I was there for your little planning session, when you told Master Nostwa your plans of attack, and even for your little drama with Elena."

Semreh let his shoulder's slump. That was it. If Theran had alerted Sep high command to their plans, then not only would Master Nostwa and her escape be compromised, but the clone commando's attack and the _Fortitudes_attempted rescue. All those people, dead because of him. Standing, Theran stood up, and walked from the café, leaving Semreh to wallow in his grief.

"Want me to take him out?" He heard Screech whisper through his ear piece. "Say the word and I can at least take him down."

"No." Semreh said, slumping into his seat. Then, he felt Elena get up from her seat, and hurry after Theran. Semreh smiled to himself. "Elena's got it."

* * *

Elena didn't know what she was going to do when she caught up to Theran, and she didn't care. She had a fork gripped tightly in her fist, but it would do little good against the changling. All she knew was that that little kriffing sleemowas willing to kill all of them, even the clones in the sky above them, to push his own ends. It had to stop now.

As he turned into an alley, Elena caught up with him. She pushed him into the shadows and spun him around.

"Ah," Theran said, opening his mouth wide to show every one of his clawdite teeth. "Psycho Jedi. I was hoping you'd come after me."

"There is nothing," she growled at him. "I want to do more then take my saber and ram it down your throat, but that won't stop you, will it?" Theran shook his head, grinning madly.

"No, I don't suppose it would." He answered in a bored voice.

"All right." She said, bringing the fork up and, with a sudden flick of her wrist, bringing the prongs of the utensil up so they stuck into his ear. He yelped and tried to change, but Elena twisted slightly, making him grit his teeth in pain.

"Now that I have your attention." She said, putting every ounce of anger and malice into her words. "Listen carefully. You have beaten us. We can't win. Congrats. Still, I think it would take a while to hunt us all down, don't you?" She twisted again, and Theran glared up at her.

"Let me make something clear to you." She continued, leaning in so she was whispering into his ear. "Even if you kill all of us in the end, we…I will live for a while. And while I do, not even the Separatists will protect your parents. We'll find them and…well, you can imagine." The clawdite stopped struggling and looked up at her, eyes flashing with a combination of rage and fear.

"You wouldn't!" He said, though he didn't sound very sure. Elena laughed and pushed, throwing the boy to the ground. "You can't."

"I'm an animal." She shouted, drawing her lightsaber. "That's what you said wasn't it." The boy was already changing, growing larger with every passing second. She had done it. She'd lured the boy into their trap. Now, all she had to do was lose.

* * *

Unit 274 had served across many battlefields during his mechanical life. And while it didn't store that experience gained from those battles like most, it had enough memory to know that an ambush only worked when the ambushees showed up. Of course, the droid didn't worry too much about that; Just kept radioing back to the headquarters that the clone commandos were not yet there, and the Separatist general in charge just kept telling it and it's seven hundred and fifty battle droids , a third of the force garrisoning the city, to stay there, waiting for the clones. The commander had sent them all out, knowing that three clone commandos were a greater threat then one clone commando and a misguided Jedi padawan.

Then, something strange happened the next time Unit 274 called in. Instead of the commander's crisp voice, it heard the sounds of blasterfire and screams. It didn't worry the droid much at all. After all, it was on the other side of the city.

* * *

Semrehhad figured that the general would send the majority of his forces to defend the food storage for the city. After all, that food was used to keep the city's citizens alive and well. Losing it would be a disaster. Of course, he was also banking on the idea that Semreh would follow through with the attack, which he did not. So, instead of defending his headquarters from one padawan and a single clone commando, the general found himself trying to fend off four commandos and a very annoyed, very frustrated padawan. It was over in minutes.

After the last Separatist droid had been destroyed and their officers surrendered, Semreh hurried through the building, finally arriving at the enormous communications center. Jumping into a chair in front of the controls, his fingers danced across the keyboard, sending coordinates and codes out across space.

"Are you still planning to call the _Fortitude_ even though the Seps are ready for them?" Screech asked from behind him. He and the other commandos were guarding the door, waiting for Sep reinforcements. "If the Seps really have an ambush ready, it'll be a slaughter."

"Yes," he answered, still looking intently at the screen. "But I'm also going to use a signal burst asking all nearby Republic fleets to move to this position for rescue of stranded Jedi. Hopefully, someone will answer and arrive to help the _Fortitude_ extract us."

"Hopefully!?" Ding exclaimed. "That's reassuring!"

"Sarcasm really not appreciated right now." Semreh said, still focused on the screen. "This isn't easy you know."

* * *

From the beginning, Semreh had figured that Theran would be spying on them in one form or another. So, while the clones and everyone had thought the plan he'd been telling them was real during those meetings, he'd transmitted the real plans to the commando's helmets using his datapad. When the first team of clone commandos had trotted off to take down the facility, they'd quickly doubled back and set up shop in the buildings across from the headquarters, waiting for Semreh's signal.

Semreh had to keep Elena in the dark about their changes until they were sitting in the café and he knew Theranwasn't watching. While she hadn't been happy, she'd nodded when he gave her something he hoped would assist them in capturing Theran. He'd warned her though that if she couldn't capture him, she'd have to make sure he didn't get away no matter what. She knew what he'd meant. Still, Semreh worried about her. The fight between them had not been an act, and it was only after that that he'd come up with the plan. She walked a thin line. He worried whether she'd A, lose control, or B, not lose enough control.

* * *

Elena had never fought so hard in her life. Despite her splinted leg, she was using every strike, every stroke she knew of Ataru to bring down Theran, but it was too hard. One second, a rancor, the next, a charging bantha. Every time she landed a blow, he'd change into some monster with a hardened shell. The nature of his changing prevented her from causing much damage.

At one point, she almost had him. She'd caught a downward slicing blow of a rancor's claw on her shoulder. She felt her bones buckle, but it was a glancing blow. At that moment, Theran's belly was exposed. Elena could have ended it right there. All she had to do was turn and slice her saber across the exposed flesh, but she hesitated.

Finally, he switched, this time into some creature that reminded her a little of a monkey, but hairless and grey. Its skin was wrinkled and its eyes were wide and bloodshot. In front of it, its two arms, twice the size of its body, were clawed and muscular. On its head, a pair of bat-like ears pressed backwards as Theran roared with the creature's mouth. She tried to get out of the way, but she tripped in her exhaustion and the creature backhanded her, spinning her through the air across the alley. She landed on her back, her ears ringing.

Theran was advancing on her now, speaking taunts and threats through the creature's mouth, but she didn't hear them. Instead, she screwed her eyes shut and waited, until she felt a tug on her tunic as Theran lifted her up with the creature's claws. He smiled, said something, and opened the creature's wide mouth, clearly intent on devouring her.

Elena bit down into the small package hidden in her mouth, breaking the top off of a glass vial. A smooth, warm liquid poured into her mouth. Just a little, but enough. She spat it out, aiming for Theran's mouth. The liquid shot inside and down his throat. Theran dropped her suddenly, jumping back as he looked at her in animalistic horror.

"What have you done!?" He screamed as his body began to melt before her eyes. He was trying to change again, but only half succeeding. As the liquid took effect, parts of his body continued morphing while others stopped halfway through. The result, much to Elena's horror, was some half clawdite half alien monster. Theran roared in frustration as his changing finally stopped, leaving him in mid change.

"Sap from the Fresian bushes." She said, painfully getting to her feet. "You won't die, but your changing days are over. You're coming with us alive." Theran tried to get up, but his misshapen body wouldn't let him. Elena was leaning against the wall of the alley when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Good job Elena." Semreh said with a smile. "I'll take it from here. You go let Barca take a look at you." Elena nodded tiredly and limped out of the dark alley and back into the light.

* * *

Semreh plopped down next to his deformed friend. Ex-friend. Sighing, he let his head hang back till he was looking up at the sky.

"What have you done!?" Theran sobbed through his disfigured face. "Why would you do this to me?" Semreh shrugged and leaned back against the wall.

"You didn't leave us much of a choice." He answered slowly. "You threatened not only our own lives, but the lives of clones, our friends, and Republic citizens. You crossed the line, and you payed." He hauled himself up to his feet, so he was crouching in front of Theran, looking him in the eye.

"See," he said pointing his finger at his friends one remaining eye (the other was covered by folds of sagging skin), "We knew you would be spying on us, so I planted false information for you in those meetings, to bring back to your superiors. We anticipated every petty betrayal you would make and turned it back on you. I figured you couldn't resist gloating about your victory, and you yourself told me you were allergic to the Fresian bush. But we couldn't risk using a syringe on you. You'd see the obvious threat and turn into something a needle couldn't penetrate. No, we needed to make sure you ingested it and end your changing permanently. So, Elena hid a capsule of it in her mouth, and played dead. Your whole fight was a sham. When you were close enough, she spit it at you." Semreh stopped here, letting Theran soak it in.

"You told the Sep general to send droids to ambush us at the storage plant, so we didn't. You told the Seps that the _Fortitude _would evacuate us, but in reality it's a whole Republic fleet. The Seps will be unprepared for this, and we'll escape. You, on the other hand, will go to jail for a long time."

Semreh had prepared himself for this part. He'd prepared himself for the pleading, the threats, and the cries for Semreh to kill him. What he hadn't prepared for was laughter.

"So," Theran said through gasps of breathe, "Are you the one who told Elena to threaten my parents?" Semreh felt his heart skip a beat. He'd told Elena to provoke Theran, to push him into a fight. But threatening his parents.

"Oh, I heard you two fight." Theran said, bursting into laughter again. "And you know what the best part is. You were right. Because, when I looked at her eyes when she said that, I didn't doubt it for a second. I knew she would havekilled innocent people to keep me quiet. So, who gave her the order to do it Semreh, huh? Tell me Semreh, how does it feel to know that she's right to? That you manipulate people and their natures to your benefit? That you see them, not as people, but as pieces in a big chess game?"

Semreh though for a second he might respond, but then shook his head and signaled for Screech to restrain Theran with shock cuffs.

"Desperate words from a broken man." Semreh said dismissively. As Theranwas hauled to his feet, a loud booming noise sounded from over head. They all looked up. Above them, a large Republic fleet was firing on the Separitists, and breaking through the atmosphere. Semreh sighed, and sat down on the grown with a groan of exhaustion.

"Checkmate." He said to Theran as he watched the ships descend.

* * *

A few minutes later Semreh found himself sitting next to Elena. Both of them were exausted, tired, and just waiting for a shuttle to take them off-planet. As a screaming Theran was wrestled to the ground by the four commandos, Elena turned her head, unable to watch.

"We created a monster." She said in a horrified voice. Semreh couldn't help but agree with her.

"Semreh," She said quietly, "I would like it if we never talked about this again."

Semreh leaned back against the wall and nodded. This mission was going to cost him several nights of sleep.

"It wasn't supposed to go like this." He said quietly. "It was only supposed to remove his power."

But it had done much worse.

* * *

The _Fortitude_ had indeed been ambushed shortly after exiting hyperspace. Fortunately, about eight other ships, all coming from different directions, also arrived, rescuing both the besieged ship and it's Jedi commanders. One was commanded by Aubrie Wyn, an old friend of Semreh's.

An hour or two later, Semreh was watching as the half mad clawdite, once his good friend, was practically dragged aboard a shuttle bound for one of the Republics many prison worlds. He turned away, and saw his master, beaming at him. Semreh tried and failed to smile back feebly.

"You did a good job here my young padawan." She said, tussling his hair with a delicate hand. "You got everyone out alive."

"Almost everyone." Semreh said thinking of Theran.

Master Nostwa turned to walk away. She had a report to make to the Council. Before she left though, she looked at him and said, "Theranchose his fate. His life should serve as a lesson for you. Meditate on it." She smiled, and hurried towards the bridge.

Smereh continued wandering about the hanger, searching for familiar faces amongst the Clones and Jedi. Finally, he found a few.

"I'll see you in the field Screech." He said, shaking the commando's gauntleted hand. "It was a pleasure working with you."

"Likewise Commander." He said, before putting his helmet back on. "Oya, sir."

Semreh recognized the word from his studies. It meant "Let's hunt!" in Mandalorian. He smiled back at the faceless clone.

"Oya."

* * *

He continued weaving his way through the crowds of wounded guerillas and bustling clones until he found one med center in particular. Halber was there, with Elena kneeling at his side. She was trying to look amazingly bored, but smiled when Halber nearly decked a med droid who tried to stick him with a needle.

"Like Hell you will!" He yelled as the droid protested. "I already told you; I've gotten that shot alread-"

He stopped short when he saw Semreh approaching, and his face broke into a big smile. Elena turned to, and nodded coolly.

"Hear you're shipping out." She grunted as she helped Halber up into a sitting position.

"Can't give the Seps a rest." He said, chuckling at his own lame rhyme. "Master Nostwa and I leave soon. What about you?"

"Same." Halber answered with a small groan. "Except I'm going to a med ship. Should be fun, provided there aren't any of these droids there." He turned and waved away another round of needles.

Semreh looked at Elena, and she looked back. Somehow, he knew neither of them needed to say anything. Getting to his feet, Semreh dusted his tunic off, said goodbye, and walked away.

* * *

"So you see." Master Nostwa said to the holographic representations of the Jedi Council, "Sluis Van remains in Serpertist hands for now. However, we gained valuable intelligence on the planet and removed a major threat to our intelligence."

"Hmm," Master Yoda said, stroking his chin with his rough fingers. "Disturbing this betrayal is. Reflect, I fear the opinion of the galaxy young Theran's opinion does."

"Unfortunately, we need you and your padawan back into the fight soon." Master Mace Windu said in a stern voice. "Otherwise, we would offer for you to return to Coruscant and make a full report."

"I understand Master." Nostwa said smoothly. "Tell me, where is Master Sirrus's battle group to be deployed."

"Jabiim." Master Shaak Ti answered. "Though you three will take a shuttle to your next command. Master Sirruswill just give you a lift."

"Very well." She said, looking to her left at Master Sirrus. He nodded his head.

"You and your padawan are always welcome on my ship." He said in a gentle voice. "I believe our padawans are old acquaintances after all. I'm sure they'll relish catching up." Master Nostwa nodded. After the past couple months, Semreh would need a friend.

* * *

Semreh was sitting by the _Fortitudes_ viewport, reading an archaic book as the ship streaked through hyperspace. Besides him, Aubrie Wyn, a fellow padawan and friend from Semreh's days at the temple, was pouring over a datapad containing the latest information on healing techniques through the Force.

"I never thought you'd end up a healer." Semreh commented dryly as he looked up from his book. "You never seemed like someone who would want to study that hard." Aubrie laughed and sat back, leaning against the wall of the hallway.

"I never thought I'd see you fighting in a war." She said smiling at him. "All the time you spent in the archives…I thought you'd end up working there or becoming some type of archeologist."

"That was the plan." Semreh said, his face falling. "I suppose I never expected any of us to have to fight like this."

"None of us did." Aubrie whispered back, "But we do what is necessary. Right?"

"Right." Semreh said returning to his book.

"Hey, Semreh." Aubrie said, her voice jerking Semreh back out of his book. "What do you know about Jabiim?" Semreh looked up, and tilted his head backwards thoughtfully.

"Let's see…Jabiim. It has undergone quite a bit of unrest over the years. Pirate attacks, plagues. It's a small planet, but the Republic recently found that it has a large amount of ore beneath its surface, hence why we're trying to take it back." Semreh looked at Aubrie, who had fallen silent.

"Oh, so we're fighting to get the ore?" Aubrie asked, looking a little disappointed.

"Not every war is a glorious rescue." Semreh said, "Sometimes, you've got to get your hands dirty. Sometimes, those wars are just as necessary as the heroic ones." He looked at her again, at how down she looked, and forced a laugh.

"But it's certainly not worth dying for." He grinned at her. "Promise me you don't go doing anything crazy out there. Only I'm allowed to do that kind of stuff. All right?" She grinned back at him a little sadly.

"All right," She said grinning back. "Besides, you owe me for saving your butt here. If I'm in deep, it'll be your turn to bail me out."

"Yeah." He said, giving her a big thumbs up. "I promise. Besides, can't have a girl showing me up. I'd never be able to show my face at the temple again." He laughed and was rewarded by Aubrie's wide carefree smile.

"Yeah right." She shot back with a smile.

* * *

Semreh was sitting meditating on the turret of a tank as it rolled across the battlefield.

"Sir, with all due respect." His clone commander said from inside the tank. "Would you mind not providing every half-ass sniper within a thousand meters the chance to shoot you?"

"Relax commander." Semreh said back, smiling at his commander's worrying attitude. "The enemy forces are in full retreat across the whole front. The only enemy here is the sun."

He looked up again and winced a little as a bit more of his sunburned skin cracked.

"Should've brought something for shade." He said to himself irritably as he swung his legs around and jumped to the ground. He looked around and was surprised to see master Nostwa heading towards him, Jedi robes flapping around her on the sunny plain.

"Master." He said bowing. Through the Force, he felt something rolling off her. Worry, regret, and…apprehension. "What's wrong?"

"Jabiim." Master Nostwa said, putting a hand on Semreh's shoulder. "Jabiim has fallen." Semrehlooked at her, dumbstruck. For a moment, all he could here was the wind rustling the grass across the plain. It was as if…As if for a moment, he was looking down at the scene from above.

"And Aubrie?" He heard himself say. "What about Aubrie?" Semreh felt rather than saw Master Nostwa lower her head solemnly.

"Dead, along with the rest of the Jedi except Skywalker. He led the evacuation efforts while the rest of the Jedi bought them time to escape."

Semreh saw himself looking at Master Nostwa. He couldn't describe from where or from what angle, not even if he wanted too. His mind felt like it was everywhere and nowhere. Like it had disappeared into the abyss.

"I didn't even feel it." He heard himself whisper quietly. Master Nostwa looked at him questioningly.

"Her death." He said, more to himself than anyone else. "I didn't even feel it. Not in the Force. Not even now, when you tell me about it. All I feel is emptiness."

"Then you're already better off than the rest of us." Master Nostwa said, turning back to the column of troopers, merging into the crowd. Semrehsuddenly felt himself back in his body, as if he'd stumbled and fallen, and all the pain he felt, the choking tightness in his chest returned. He spunon his heel, keeping his face impassive as he climbed back aboard the hovertank. His clone commander looked at him for a second, then ducked back down into the tank, leaving Semreh to sit on top alone.

"Sorry Aubrie." He thought as tears began to fall from his eyes. He still kept his face emotionless, but he couldn't seem to stop the delicate droplets from falling. "I broke my promise. I still owe you. But the Seps will pay!"

* * *

"I fear we are destroying these children." Master Nostwa said to the holographic representation of Mace Windu. "We are thrusting them into battle as teenagers! This is not the Jedi way."

"And what do you suggest we do?" The stern Master said. "We don't have any options. Besides, padawan have accompanied masters on missions for centuries. It has always helped mold the young with experience."

"Well, I don't think they should be exposed to this type of experience. Mass death, brutal murders...Master Windu, are these the lessons you want the next generation of Jedi to learn."

Nostwa already knew she couldn't win this fight. But she knew sometimes the point wasn't winning a fight, but fighting it.

"I'm sorry Master Nostwa." Mace Windu said, sounding truly sympathetic. "I knew Aubrie well. She was supposed to study after me at the Temple. She was one of our best healers. And she died a Jedi."

"No," Master Nostwa cried angrily. "She was left to die on a dark planet abandoned by Republic. And I fear the whole Order may be in just as much danger."

"Watch your tongue!" Master Windu said sharply. "That sounds very close to treason."

"I-I'm sorry Master Windu." Nostwa said, bowing her head. "I just don't know what the Jedi Order is supposed to be anymore. Are we soldiers or monks."

"We are the light holding back the darkness of the galaxy." Master Windu answered calmly. "We hold back the darkness. Remember that." The hologram wavered and disappeared before Master Nostwa, leaving her feeling tired and depressed.

"_Yes Master Windu."_ She thought turning back to the battlefield and her clone troopers. "_We stand by the Republic, fighting side by side for the light. But what happens when we are left alone in the dark."_

**_Continued in The Jedi Strike Back..._**


End file.
